Excalibur
by suicidalmime
Summary: Captain Arthur Pendragon is on a mission to find his sister, the dreaded space pirate Morgana. But first he needs a ship and a crew. Space AU
1. Excalibur

**Summary:** Captain Arthur Pendragon is on a mission to find his sister, the dreaded space pirate Morgana. But first he needs a ship and a crew. Space AU

**Author's Note:** If you've read the original in **Across the Universe**, then you know that I said that I was gonna start extending this when **Undying Love **or **The Lord and the Governess **get close to the end. Buuuuuuuuuut I have writer's block on both, so this is going up sooner than planned. :D

**Excalibur**

Camelot was the most affluent planet in the Albion star system, and its lush forest and crystal lakes made it a cool pearl standing out among the black backdrop of space. It was also home to the top officers in Albion's Starfleet, including the son of President Uther Pendragon.

Arthur always went above and beyond to make his father proud, much to the displeasure of his sister. With Uther always focusing his attention on his son, he neglected Morgana. The harder Arthur worked and was rewarded honors, the more Uther praised him, and the more Morgana would act out. Being the product of an affair, Morgana was already a black smudge on the Pendragon's pristine family history. Her becoming a space pirate wiped it out like the plague.

And now it was Arthur's job to bring her home.

Arthur found himself on Cameliard, the larger of Camelot's two terrestrial moons. Cameliard was rich in resources, especially metals, and responsible for Camelot's heavy industry. It's where the planet's ships were built, and Arthur had the most stunning picks in the system to choose from.

Accompanying him was his best friend and fellow graduate of the Albion Starfleet Academy, Pilot Merlin Emrys from Ealdor, Camelot's smaller moon. Merlin stared longingly at the rows of ships gleaming under the sun in the shipyard. "Are you sure you don't want something more…shiny?" They were standing a distance away from the ships and in front of an older, less glamorous one.

Arthur looked up at the older model. He knew this ship, it was made for him. He had named it before it was even built.

Growing up, he always went with his father to inspect the ships every month. Tom Leodegrance, manager of the shipyard and the greatest builder Camelot ever had, told Arthur that he'd build a ship special for him. Arthur swore that Tom was the greatest engineer in the universe, and so did everyone else. He's the reason why Camelot has the finest ships. And Tom had kept his promise; he began building the ship when Arthur went off to the Academy, unknown to Arthur. It was going to be a surprise gift for when he graduated.

Arthur perused the shipyard looking for one of Tom's ships that sang to him until they had reached the end. The new ships were a polished crimson, but this one was darker, the red deeper with age. They reached the dock and a worker came up to them.

"Captain Pendragon, hello! What can I do for you?" he asked, thrilled to see him. Arthur remembered John, Tom's partner. While they worked, his wife Mary would bring them the most delicious lunches that would put their cook to shame.

Arthur shook his hand. "I would like to buy this ship," he said.

John's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "_This_ ship?"

Arthur nodded. "Yes. It's one of Tom's isn't it?" All the ships were technically Tom's, but this one actually had the engineer's fingerprints on it.

John wrung his hands, hesitant. "Maybe we should go inside."

The insides of new ships appeared sterile with their white hallways lit by florescent lights. These walls were lined with cool blue steel and softer lighting that glowed, not glared. John led him through the cargo bay and down a passageway to the end of the ship. As they got closer, and the sound of banging and clanking grew louder. The door to the engine room was open, and over the sound John had to yell.

"Gwen! Hey, Gwen!"

The sound stopped and a woman popped out from behind the engine. It wasn't just any woman; it was Tom's daughter, Guinevere. Arthur hadn't seen her since he last visited Cameliard four years ago. At twenty, she still seemed like just a girl to him, but seeing her now in her coveralls pulled down to her hips, and her grease stained tank top sticking to her sweaty skin, she was definitely a woman. And her eyes, her bright brown eyes revealed when she perched her goggles on top of her head, glared at him.

"You remember Captain Pendragon, and this is Pilot Merlin Emrys," John said. "The captain would like to purchase the ship."

"No," Gwen said coldly.

Arthur would've felt warmer if a bucket of ice was thrown on him. "Guinevere—"

"Don't you_ 'Guinevere' _me," she pointed at him with an angry finger. "It's been four years. Not a visit, a call, a letter, _nothing! _And now you come here wanting to buy my father's ship?" She wiped her hands aggressively on a rag and marched up to them. Arthur held his ground, but Merlin stepped back.

They played together as children. He'd pull her curly pigtails, and she'd push him down. As teenagers, they'd lie on top of one of the ships and admire Camelot and Ealdor in the sky. "_I'm going to become the greatest captain in the 'verse,'_" Arthur would say, and Gwen would lean on his shoulder, and her curls would tickle his neck.

"Your father said he would build me a ship," Arthur said.

"If you haven't noticed, he's not around to build you one!" she snapped.

Merlin cleared his throat. "I think we'll just leave you two to discuss things." He and John left the room, closing the door behind them for extra privacy.

"I need this ship," Arthur said desperately. "I need to find Morgana."

Gwen threw down the rag. "You can have any ship, and you want this one?" She turned her back to him and crossed her arms, staring intensely at the engine. "This is the last ship my father built from scratch…It's all I have left of him."

"I understand that, Guinevere."

"And just because you're the President's son, doesn't mean you're entitled to any ship in the 'verse!" she said in annoyance.

Arthur walked over to the engine and placed his hand on it. _The ship's heart_. He remembered the conversation with Tom and one of the most important parts of owning a ship. "He didn't happen to name it, did he? Is it Excalibur?"

She looked at him sharply. "How did you know that?"

"It's what I told your father I'd name the ship he would build me."

Gwen lowered her arms to her side in defeat. "He started building it right around the time you left for the Academy. He poured everything he had into this ship. _'It'll be the greatest ship I've ever built'_ he would say. _'It's for the greatest captain in the 'verse.'_" Her lips curved into a smile at the memory of her father. "Tell me, Arthur. Are you the greatest captain in the 'verse?"

"I…can't answer that," he said. He's received countless of complements and graduated first in his class, but his opinion of himself wasn't very high, not when there's always room for improvement (and a president for a father to impress).

She regarded him for a moment. "You may not have shown your face around here for years, but I've read the stories about you. You've done great things, _Captain_."

"That doesn't make me great," he whispered.

"You used to be so…_arrogant_. What happened?" He heard the humor in her voice.

_Grow up, Arthur Pendragon!_ She was the only person to ever dare yell at the President's son. He grinned. "I grew up." With the tension gone between them, he moved closer to her. "I'm assembling a crew, and I would be honored if you would be part of it."

Gwen looked around the room. It was only one of many, but the engine room is where she spent all her time. The ship was complete and just sitting in the yard where it would remain as long as she lived, protecting her father's final creation from being turned into scrap metal. Gwen imagined Excalibur cutting through space like the sharpest of swords and made her decision. Ships don't belong on rocks.

Her gaze settled back on him and she smiled. "When do we leave?"

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks for reading (again or for the first time)!


	2. The Crew

**Chapter 2:** The Crew

Arthur and Merlin were back on Camelot in a bar looking for more crew to recruit. So far all they had were Gwen; their fellow Academy graduate, Leon; and Gaius, a doctor from Ealdor. They didn't need a big crew, just a reliable one.

"So…" Merlin drew out the word, not knowing how to segue into what he was about to ask. "Is Gwen an ex-girlfriend or something?"

Arthur almost choked on his drink. "W-What makes you think that?"

Merlin fiddled with the pen in his hand. "Well, she seemed really upset that you never contacted her, kind of like a jilted ex. You didn't hit it and quit it, did you?"

"Shut up, Merlin."

Arthur didn't want to admit to Merlin that he was sort of right. He and Gwen were close friends up until he went to visit her during his third year at the Academy when during that visit he did in fact "hit it and quit it." They were sitting comfortably in the friend zone until they cracked open a bottle of Caerleon rum.

When Arthur woke up and saw the innocent sleeping face of Gwen, he panicked. He slipped out of the bed and quickly put on his pants, stilling when his leg hit the nightstand causing the lamp to rattle.

Gwen stirred. "Hey," she said sleepily. _Adorably_.

_Shit. _"Guinevere…" He stood awkwardly with his pants hanging off his hips and his shirt in hand.

Gwen sat up, covering herself with the sheet. "You're leaving already?"

He turned his back to her, pulling on his shirt and zipping up his pants. He tried to formulate the right words. This wasn't like his other hook-ups. This was Gwen. _Guinevere._

"Were you going to sneak out?"

He turned back around but looked anywhere than at her. "I…was going to leave a note."

"Arthur—"

"This was a mistake," he blurted out.

She clutched the sheet closer to her. "A…mistake…"

"What happened between us…"

"You think was a mistake." Gwen's voice, broken and sharp like glass, ripped through him.

Arthur thought about Gwen every day since then. He didn't even have the balls to face her when her father died. He still couldn't believe she didn't maim him when he showed up.

"I made a mistake," he mumbled.

Merlin didn't press, and just took pleasure in his captain looking humbled.

Just then, a scruffy dark haired man casually invited himself to sit down at their table. "I hear you're looking for crew."

Arthur was a bit put off by the man. "And you are…?"

"The name's Gwaine," he said. "So, how much is the pay?"

"Don't you want to know why we need a crew?"

Gwaine reclined in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. "You can transport teddy bears for all I care, as long as the pay is good."

They were interrupted by the com device on Arthur's wrist cuff. He pressed the LCD panel and Gwen's face appeared on the screen. "Guinevere."

"Hey, Elyan's just come back from a delivery and I told him of what's happening. He wants in."

"Are you sure it's not just to keep an eye on—" Arthur was cut off when he felt Gwaine pop over his shoulder.

Gwaine grinned down at Gwen on the screen. "Hello there. Is she on the crew, too? Because if she is—"

Arthur pushed him out of the way. "See you soon." He disconnected the device and glared at Gwaine.

"Like I was saying, gentlemen, if she's part of the crew, I'm in." The cocky smile on Gwaine's face fell when Arthur's glare didn't let up, and he laughed nervously. "She seems like a nice girl. What does she do?"

"She's our engineer," Arthur said, still glaring.

"And too good for me. Got it." Gwaine raised his hands in defense signaling he'd back off. "And you're the captain, and he," Gwaine pointed to Merlin, "is the pilot." They nodded. "Can I be the first mate?"

"Got one of those." It was Leon.

"So I'll be doing grunt work, then," Gwaine concluded.

"While searching for the space pirate Morgana," Merlin carefully added.

Gwaine sat up straight. "You didn't say anything about space pirates."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "That a problem?"

Gwaine smirked. "Nope."

The shuttle landed on Cameliard, and when they made it to the shipyard, they found that Gaius and Leon had beaten them there and were helping Gwen and Elyan load the Excalibur.

"It's good to see you again, Elyan," Arthur greeted.

When they shook hands, Elyan's grip was a little tighter than necessary. It was a warning. Elyan's eyes said, "_Hurt my sister again, and I'll throw you out the airlock."_

"_Got it."_ Arthur wordlessly communicated back.

Gwen broke the tension. "Elyan's bummed you chose me as the engineer instead of him. I told him it's because I'm smarter."

Elyan huffed and Gwen patted him on the shoulder. "Come one, boys. Let me give you the grand tour."

They each got their own room. Arthur offered the give Gwen the Captain's cabin in an attempt to butter her up, but she declined.

The com on the wall buzzed, and he pressed it to answer. "Yeah?"

Gwen's voice came through. "Dinner's ready."

"Be right up."

The kitchen was the most homely part of the ship. The walls were painted a warm orange, and with the wooden cabinets and table, Arthur was reminded of autumn on Camelot.

Gwen placed a big pot of stew in the middle of the table.

"This is it?" Elyan half heartedly complained.

"Saving the good stuff for space before you lot start complaining about not having real meat for weeks. So stay out of the freezer, or else," Gwen warned, pointing the ladle at her brother.

"She's right, you know," Gaius mused. "I've seen men fight over a slice of ham in deep space."

They spent dinner enthusiastically listening to Gaius tell stories of the days when he would travel as a young doctor fresh out of the Academy. Other than the troubles that may arise when they confront Morgana, Gaius' stories made them all excited for their upcoming adventure.

Later that evening, Gwen watched Merlin tinker with the controls from the door of the cockpit. "I hope it's up to Academy standards."

Merlin startled and swiveled around. Gwen gave him a smile, sat in the co-pilot chair, and pulled her knees up to her chin. She caught sight of a dragon carved from wood sitting on the dashboard. "Did you make that?"

"My dad did," Merlin said nostalgically. "It's my lucky charm."

"Was he a pilot, too?"

Merlin's grin was wide and toothy. "The best!"

They shared a comfortable silence until Gwen brought up the relationship between flying and the engine and how her father designed the ship around that. "So we have to be best friends, so Excalibur will fly perfectly," Gwen said in an almost childish glee. They laughed and talked joyously hours. It was getting late and they were heading to Mercia tomorrow. They both gave the dashboard a fond pat, and headed off to bed sharing more laughs along the way.

Takeoff was a little rocky, but they were in the air, and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. Last night he had dreamed of several different ways Merlin would crash the ship before they broke through the atmosphere.

They were on their way to Mercia for more supplies, mainly weaponry, and more crew if they could. Out of all the people they interviewed on Camelot, Cameliard, and Ealdor, only Gwaine seemed fully prepared for whatever was in store for them.

The journey took three days, and as they grew closer to Mercia, Arthur tried to avoid Gwen after briefing everyone on the supplies they needed. Given their close quarters, it was hard to do.

Arthur was hiding out in his cabin when the hatch opened. He sat up on his bed abruptly when he saw Gwen. "Guinevere," he said, his voice nervously high. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Gwen sat in the chair at his desk. She skimmed over the maps and schedule he had pinned on the board above the desk. Then she pulled off a list that caught her eye.

_Here we go,_ Arthur thought.

"Guns," is all she said. Her eyes said a lot more. Her father died in a mugging, a single shot to the abdomen. She wasn't fond of weapons.

"It's for precaution."

She stayed silent.

"There's a high chance that we'll run into trouble."

"Trouble, trouble, trouble," she muttered. She grabbed a pen and scribbled something down on the list.

He leaned forward as if he could get a better look from his position. "What are you writing?"

"Spare parts. Mercia likes to charge Cameliard extra seeing how our ships are the best. Since we're doing a bit of shopping, we might as well get extra parts for cheap." When she finished, she pinned the list back on the board and walked to the door.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Arthur said it mostly to himself, but loud enough for her to hear.

Gwen leaned against the door frame. "I know," she said just as quiet before closing the door behind her.

The landing was rough, but the dockhands sure found it entertaining. And when Gwen came out rubbing her backside, Merlin apologized profusely and swore he would master it.

Mercia Market wasn't very busy for once. First they found a parts dealer, and the boys watched in awe as Gwen haggled. She didn't need to, though, since Arthur was the one paying for it. But Gwen liked putting Mercia dealers in their place, so he let her have her fun.

Then they visited the arms shop located in a small warehouse in the back of the market. A large, intimidating guard stood at the door. He gave them a friendly smile. "I'm Percival. Follow me."

He led them inside where they were met with rows and rows of weapons and ammo. Leon's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

Then out of a back room, another man came out. "Hey Perc—Gwen?"

Gwen's shocked face quickly turned into a smile. "Lance!"

Gwen introduced Lance to the gang and Lance introduced Percival. Both were drifters, always traveling and doing odd jobs. Gwen and Lance met during his short stay on Cameliard, and he met Percival when they were looking for work around Mercia.

Arthur told them of their mission and they were eager to join. They were getting bored working in Bayard's weapons shop, anyways.

"And how do you feel about space pirates?"

"They're the scum of the 'verse, Captain," Lance said with a hard tone. "Both Percival and I lost family because of them."

Arthur nodded sympathetically. "Welcome to the crew."

With supplies and proper weapons licenses acquired for everyone not a graduate of the Academy, they gathered around the dining table, drinking and celebrating the assembling of the crew.

Percival put down his glass and gave a contented sigh. "Funny how small the 'verse seems sometimes. Lance spoke very highly of you, Gwen."

Both Gwen and Lance blushed.

"Wait," Elyan said. "Now I know why your name sounds familiar!" He smiled drunkenly and laughed. "Gwen talked about you all the time when I came back after a long trip. I always wanted to meet the bloke my sister wouldn't shut up about, but you were already gone and she got all…" Elyan's face suddenly dropped in a sobered frown. "Just how many of you have slept with my sister?"

"Elyan!" Gwen shrieked in embarrassment and bolted out of the room.

The jolly atmosphere was gone. Lance looked extremely uncomfortable. Percival looked sorry for bringing it up. Merlin, Gaius, and Leon found it amusing but kept it to themselves. Arthur silently prayed Elyan wouldn't say any more.

But it was Gwaine. "Wait. Are you saying there's someone else on this ship who's—?"

Arthur stood and grabbed Elyan. "I think it's time to sober you up." Gaius and Merlin took Elyan from him, and brought him to the med bay.

"I think we've all had enough to drink," Lance said.

As they all made the shuffle out of the kitchen, Arthur and Lance bumped into each other. The awkwardness grew and it was obvious that Arthur was the other one Elyan was talking about.

Gwaine snorted. "It's a small 'verse after all."

* * *

**A/N: **Hello readers old and new :D Drama in close quarters dun dun duuuuun what's gonna happen? I have no idea *spins around* Ok, maybe I have some idea.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	3. Detour

**Chapter 3:** Detour

_One year ago…_

Morgana ran away from home, and she was gone two whole months before Uther realized she wasn't just on a trip after hearing exaggerated stories of her exploits. She had found a new home among Aglain's crew. They lied, cheated, and stole; they did what they had to do to survive. Sometimes, things got messy. Sometimes Morgana would raise unnecessary hell.

Their ship was parked in a clearing in the woods on Darkling Moon. While the crew congregated around the campfire, Aglain stayed on the bridge, scrutinizing the holographic flyer with Morgana's face between the words MISSING and REWARD. It was a hefty amount, and Aglain was itching to get rid of Morgana. He closed the screen and went outside.

Instead of approaching the group on his own, Aglain was dragged over to the fire and brought to his knees. He looked up to see Morgana sneering down at him.

The fire glinted in Morgana's cold green eyes. "Tell me, Aglain, do you always turn in one of your own for money, or am I just special?"

Aglain tried to stand, but was held down. "You're the President's daughter!" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Morgana paced in front of him. "You don't seem bothered by anyone else's background. Or maybe you'd turn them in, too, if there was a reward offered for their return." A few of the pirates snickered, knowing good and well that their families were relieved they were gone. "You said that we must always look out for each other, protect one another." She crouched in front of Aglain, smirking. "This makes you a traitor."

"I'm your leader!" Aglain barked. He looked around for some sort of support and found none. "This is mutiny!"

Morgana stood and took a few steps back. She drew a gun from behind her back, pointing it between Aglain's eyes. "No," she said. "This is an execution."

_Bang!_

* * *

Arthur stood at ease as his father glared at him through the screen. _It's too early for this_, he thought. _Why not get a call from your father complaining about your choices first thing in the morning? It's every son's dream._

"A couple of drifters, a delivery boy, and a mechanic's daughter—that's your idea of a crew!" Uther Pendragon scowled.

Arthur squeezed his hands behind his back to resist from rolling his eyes. "Guinevere is an _engineer_," he defended. "And I have Leon and Merlin, and Dr. Richard Gaius."

The high definition holographic screen made the vein pulsing in Uther's forehead more animated. "Oh? Well that makes a world of difference," Uther snickered.

Arthur's shoulders dropped. He was missing breakfast. "Father, I don't know if you have noticed, but a lot of Starfleet graduates aren't very eager to go after pirates." _Because they're too busy doing real jobs that you've been on my ass about since I was a toddler._

Uther's mouth tensed in a thin line before he finally said, "Find her. _Quickly._" The feed cut off.

"Yes, sir," Arthur muttered to the air and flopped back on his bed. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep until he opened his eyes and felt a crick in his neck. He showered, put on a comfortable grey long-sleeved Henley and black cargo pants, and groaned when he bent over to tie his boots. He remained slumped over for a minute before getting up. His father's words followed him all the way to the kitchen.

Gwaine walked by him waving a piece of half eaten toast. "You missed breakfast, mate."

"No kidding," Arthur grumbled. He walked to the coffee maker with hesitance because Gwen and Lance were standing next to it. He nodded hello before reaching into the cabinet for a mug. He pulled out a red one with yellow cartoon dragons. In fact, the majority of the mugs had designs of them—from flower, to animals, witty sayings. He chuckled, closing the cabinet door.

"I like mugs," Gwen said and filled the cup for him. She moved away before he could thank her, leaving him with and Lance at the counter. The two men raised their mugs to each other with awkward smiles. Gwen returned and handed Arthur a plate with a slice of toast and sausage. "It's all that's left." She scurried off to the other side of the room before he could thank her again.

"She's still embarrassed about last night. You should've been in here earlier to see her resisting the urge to hit Elyan with a frying pan. But I think that would be nothing compared to the hangover remedy Gaius gave him," Lance said. "The face Elyan made when he drank it was priceless."

Arthur made a small laugh into his mug. "Shame I missed it." The coffee was a bit on the sad side. He couldn't wait for when Gwen finally allowed them to have the good stuff.

"Slept in before things get serious?"

Arthur sighed. "Early morning phone call from my father."

"Oh," Lance said. "Anything the crew should know?"

"Not everything the President says is important."

Lance put his mug down and drummed his fingers on the counter. "It must be causing quite a stir to have a son who's a captain and a daughter who's space pirate."

Arthur grunted. "He's just afraid it'll look bad come the next election. Which it will, of course, but Father has a way with words. He'll get through it."

"And how do you plan on getting Morgana to turn herself in?" Lance asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Arthur's eyes followed Gwen as cleaned up before heading to the engine room.

Lance must have been doing the same, or watching Arthur watch her because he said, "She's something special."

Arthur nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

Later that day, Merlin called Arthur and Leon to the bridge to answer a call from Bayard. Arthur was growing sick of scowling middle aged men, especially when they were looking at him.

"You take my guns and my workers! What is the meaning of this, Pendragon?" Bayard shouted.

Arthur was momentarily distracted by the spit that ended up in Bayard's beard and speckled on the screen. "Huh? Oh. Lance and Percival left you a note. And you got your money, you greedy son of a—"Arthur was cut off by Leon's cough. "What do you want, Bayard?"

"Something in return," the merchant said gruffly.

Arthur rubbed his temples. "I don't have time for this."

"You took my workers; I'll be set back for days. I need you to go on a run for me to Caerleon."

"No, Bayard," Arthur gritted. "I _literally _don't have time for this." They were headed to Darkling Moon tonight, the opposite direction of Caerleon. And he could do without explaining what's taking so long to his father.

"I'll pay you."

Well, that changed things. Arthur had seen Merlin perk up out of the corner of his eye. Money was never a big issue for Arthur, but the others could use the extra cash.

Arthur folded his arms across his chest. "How much?"

* * *

Arthur thought to look for Gwen in the engine room first and was surprised to not find her there. His short search ended at her cabin door. There was no answer almost a minute after he knocked and went to turn away when the door opened.

Out of her coveralls, Gwen stood there in a tank top and sweats, and was drying her hair with a towel.

"Can we talk?" Arthur asked. Gwen stepped aside to let him in. It was like the opposite of when she came into his cabin. He sat at her desk and took in his surroundings. The walls were covered in blue prints of Excalibur, sketches of specific parts, and pictures of her, Elyan, and their father. Other schematics were strewn on the desk, and on top of them was leather bound journal, the same one he'd seen Tom scribble notes in. He knew that if he were to open it and look in the back pocket, he'd find a picture of Gwen's mother.

He heard a huff and the squeak of the bed springs. He turned to see Gwen settling cross-legged on the bed. She looked at him expectantly all while still drying her hair.

"Well?"

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Arthur said.

She laughed. "You don't have to apologize about last night."

"It's not that," Arthur picked at his sleeve nervously. "I'm sorry about _that_ morning, and about not being there for you when you lost your father."

Gwen's hands halted, and then she slowly pulled the towel from her head. Her hair was a tangled mess and her face looked surprised. In that instant, she wasn't the tough engineer he'd reunited with, but his childhood friend who'd give him that same look when he made up for his pratish behavior.

Arthur stopped picking at his sleeve before he made a hole in it. "And this would be the part where I'd present to you some sad looking flowers I picked from the side of the road, but I don't think flowers even grow on this rock so…" He went for a cheesy smile.

"Did you really think it was a mistake?" Gwen squeezed the towel in her hands anticipating Arthur's answer.

"I freaked out," Arthur admitted. "I never should've said that. I didn't mean it. And I most certainly didn't mean to ruin our friendship."

"If you weren't so eager to leave, we could've talked about it," Gwen mumbled.

Arthur was still ashamed of his actions. "I was an idiot."

Gwen whole-heartedly agreed. "So, if things were different, what would you have said instead of trying to sneak out?"

He wasn't prepared for this. "Umm…"

"I could see you saying that," Gwen snorted in humor.

He had imagined that scenario countless times. "I wish it didn't take a bottle of Caerleon rum for me to show you how I felt about you. And things just escalated so quick—"

"How you felt about me?" Gwen pressed.

Arthur gave her a shy smile. "We've always been close, and when we would have those late night chats while I was at the Academy…I always felt better after those. You've gotten me through so much, Guinevere, and I loved you for it."

Gwen scratched her nose and looked down. "Loved. Past tense?" she asked, her voice slightly teasing.

Blushing, Arthur tried to look anywhere but at her. "Of course I love you. I mean, you're my friend. That is—if you want to be…again…er…"

Gwen stood up and walked over to the desk. Arthur pushed the chair back a little to get out of her way. She picked up her father's journal. "We can still be friends," she said, and flipped open the journal to the back pocket, pulled out a picture, and pinned it on the bottom corner of the board with the picture of her brother and father.

It was of them the day before everything went south. Arthur was giving Gwen a piggyback ride. Gwen's left arm was wrapped across his chest and her right was extended in front of them holding the camera. She was beaming over his shoulder with her head tucked next to his. Arthur tried to duck but was too late. His head was slightly turned and his eyes were closed, but his mouth was open with laughter.

Arthur smiled at the memory. "I would like that very much."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry everything is such a slow burn. Fun stuff coming up in the next chapter…at least I hope you think it's fun.

**Thanks** always for reading and reviewing!


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